Times Echo
by OrlithNightfire
Summary: 9th meets 10th. how will rose react. will she try to change time once again? total shippyness. story for Evee.


(Plot bunny runs past)

KITG: Runs after said plot bunny with sharp instrument come ere, I'll make rabbit pie out of you. Arrrrrrrgh!

(Few seconds later Jack and The Doctor drag KITG past, each holding one arm as she struggles to get back after the plot bunny)

Doctor: come on; cheer up. It was only a scratch

Jack: Yeah gorgeous, it wasn't meant in a bad way Slap ow, now there was no need to slap me.

KITG: yes there was, one track mind you. Go flirt with the bunny if you like it so much. I will……………(into silence as she is dragged from room)

Rose: Sorry about this. KITG is in a bit of a bad mood. The plot bunny decided to bite her at 4 in the morning. So of course she started to write it….and kinda got into it….and well. Lets put it this way, her work phoned up wondering where she was as she was an hour late. So she blaming the bunny. But here the story. Hope you like. I better go and make Tea, calm her down. Bye.

Dedication: this is for Evee. because of her lovely stories. Also dedicated to the guys at time&chips.

(Edit: Sorry, abotu the first paragraph, seems it formatted it a bit strange and put the whole thing into one. hope this sorts it out. Thanks to Rashaka for pointing it out to me.)

Times Echo 

Rose woke up to the familiar hum of the TARDIS. Stretching she got up from the large four poster bed, she was in her pink pajamas as she walked to the en suite. She showered and wrapped the towel robe around her slim form. When she came out she was not surprised to see the Doctor sat on her bed. She smiled. Some things never changed. He still did not know the meaning of the words "Personal space" It had been 6 months since he regenerated from the man she knew, the leather jacket, jumpers, big ears, ice blue eyes, very short almost military hair and silly grin, to the man before her, longer hair that she could run fingers through, younger face, brown eyes, new teeth, a suit, and a long trench coat. Looking geek chic. His personality changed also, from the manic mood swings of happiness to depression, to the now more laid back. But some things remained the same. He still held her hand when they ran, and a means of comfort to them both. They still acted as best friends. She sometimes missed the northern accent. As the Scottish she was still getting used to.

As she went over to the wardrobe to get some clothes. Ignoring him as he was looking through a book she had picked up on earth on their last visit. Some sci-fi novel. She could hear him mumble things like"That wouldn't work" and "That place is real" and "hmm…that might work with the TARDIS"  
She thought of his ninth incarnation. She did miss him, a lot if she was truthful. It had taken a lot on his tenth incarnation's part to earn her trust again. She knew she had been horrible, but he wasn't her Doctor. Though they had got past this now. She had said some awful things to him. Then that whole thing at Christmas blew up, and hey priorities. She had looked after him when he regenerated. Because after about 10 secs after he mentioned Barcelona he had crumpled to the floor. The Tardis luckily had taken her home. She had managed to get him to his room, and put his pajamas on, tucking him in. then it had all crashed down on her and she has run from him and into the control room. She had cried clutching his leather jacket like a lifeline. The Doctor had woken up and found her sill there. He had tried to reassure her, while kicking himself that he hadn't told her about this sooner. He still felt the same for her. The kiss forever seared into his mind. Seeing her like this broke his hearts. Then she had asked to go home, and he felt his hearts shatter. He couldn't loose her. But he would not hold her against her will. So he had taken her home, in time for Christmas, and she had left, backpack and everything.  
He had to stay a while to fix the console she had broken to get to the heart of the TARDIS. It was while he was doing this that she had run it, begging for help. And he had, and it had been like before, hand holding, running for their lives. And after it had all been won. They had talked. And both had cried. Then she had said she would give him a chance. That he was still her Doctor. Just inside instead of out, he would always be who he was. But it hadn't been easy. A lot of pain on her part over his…well basically death. And still now she would get upset. But she now told him that he made it easier. It still prayed on his mind that she had nearly left him. But now they were like best friends again.

She came out of the bathroom dressed and ready for the next adventure. He was now laid back on the bed waiting for her, at the sight of her; he jumped to his feet, full toothy grin on his face.

"Ready to go rose?"

"Where to today Doctor?"

"Don't know. Lets go see. Think I fancy spinning the wheel and she where we land." He rubbed his hands together in glee. Which was always bad.

"Great, that means worse trouble then usual"

'Rose you wound me" He put his hand over his hearts in fake pain "I'm trying"

"Yes, very. I wonder sometimes how I put up with you" Rose ran from the room when she saw the look the Doctor gave her. This incarnation was not averse to tickling.

She beat him to the control room and hid behind the safety of one of the coral like struts. The blue/green glow of the central column illuminating her face. She often wondered why the room stayed the same. The Doctor had mentioned the room often changed with him. Maybe the TARDIS was trying to comfort her. She had remembered some of what happened the day with the Dalek's on satellite 5. She now had a new understanding of the ship, felt part of it. So she would often talk to the ship, swearing she got groans and rumbles in response sometimes.

"Right spin the wheel, spin the wheel…..and….and…lets spin the wheel" the Doctor finished rather belatedly. Giving Rose a glare as she tried to hide the laugh

"He's not a poet, and everyone knows it" she laughed at his indignant face. The central column began to move up and down as the TARDIS began to travel the space/time vortex. The Doctor was just about to give a very witty response. When the TARDIS lurched with a scream of metal. Rose and the Doctor were thrown back against the wall; before they could recover the TARDIS screamed again, she rolled over and over. The last thought Rose had was 'so this is what my clothes feel like in a washing machine"

Sound and feeling slowly came back to Rose; she could hear the sound of steam hissing and the clicking of cooling metal. She felt someone holding her hand, and she groaned as she opened her eyes.

"Come on Rose, that's it. Open your eyes" She knew it was the Doctor talking to her, but something was not quite right. But her head pounding like it was she couldn't put her finger on it. She opened her eyes…..and scrabbled back in fear.

'No….no,no,no,no your not you."

"Course it me Rose. Come on you stupid ape, have a TARDIS to fix" big ears, leather jacket. He bounded over to the TARDIS console, sonic screwdriver at the ready. Rose was rooted to the spot. Both looked over at another groan.

"Who are you?" the ninth Doctor demanded of the new man in his TARDIS.

"Oh fanth. What you doing here?"

"It's you, but then you were you." She pointed at the tenth Doctor then back at the ninth. Her Doctor had that look, the same as when she was trying to get him to see the millennium wheel. The look of "What?" Suddenly there was a Scottish accent in her ear.

"Breath Rose. It's me, but the old me, we've crossed timelines somehow. This is me of the past ok?" She looked to her new Doctor. Looking deep into his brown eyes, and saw only truth. She nodded wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. He hugged her quickly then stood up, to face his old incarnation.

"So what you doing here? In my TARDIS. What you do this time?"

"Oh my god…….I regenerate into a pretty boy" Rose had to laugh at this, knowing how it must wind him up.

"That's more like it.. and I am not a pretty boy!" They glared at each other for a while, and then both grinned.

"Right, lets get this fixed. What happened?" the tenth doctor walked over to the computer screen, coaxing into life. They both leaned over it.

"Fantastic" Roses heart clenched as the ninth said that sarcastically. she pushed back her tears. "My Tardis is trying to co exist inside yours. My Rose is stuck inside, hope she still in her room. Don't think she'll come out for a time."

"Its just after we've seen my dad isn't it?" Rose's voice quiet. Her old Doctor nodded. She looked to the tenth incarnation. And he looked right back, the brown eyes staring at her with the same intensity of the blue.

"I'm going to get the big tool box, Rose why don't you come with me. Can make us all a cupper" The tenth doctor led her from the room, leaving the ninth looking over the console screen.

Rose started to make the tea when the tenth doctor returned from getting the toolbox.

"Rose I need to tell you something important. You can't tell him about what happens. It could change the timeline."

"Like with dad?"

"Yes,…" she looked at him then, he had fear in his eyes.

"I could stop him regenerating couldn't? Or that's what your afraid I am thinking"

"It might stop it, you might die instead, or the reapers might come" he wasn't looking at her now, the atmosphere had changed, and she walked up to him, placing her hand on his cheek. Making him meet her eyes.

"Your you Doctor. Yes I miss him" she indicated with her eyes back to the control room "but your still the Doctor, so don't worry." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

They returned to the console room. The two Doctors got down to fixing the TARDIS. After several hours they hadn't made much progress. Rose had been careful not to say anything about the regeneration to the old Doctor. Finally the two of them had started to argue.

"Now if we connect the stabilizer circuit to the proton neuron board, then it should case the flux structure shield to remold and separate the two." The ninth doctor was waving his arms round to emphasize the point. The sonic screwdriver buzzing in his hand. The tenth Doctor with an equally buzzing screwdriver disagreed.

"We can't do that, it could cause the structural manifold to implode."

" Not if we divert the neuron flow, pretty boy" they glared at each other. The frustration practically flowing off the ninth doctor.

"Doctor don't argue with yourself," Rose said in jest, trying to lighten the mood. But it didn't go quite as planned.

"This pretty boy doesn't know what he's on about. But your loving it that I changed into him. You and your pretty boys" there was a hard edge to his tone. If Rose could see in his mind she would have know he was jealous. Being jealous of himself was stupid he knew. But he still felt it. He didn't look at her. But he felt the temperature drop. He looked up as he heard her rise. We'll he hadn't expected that. He had thought she would have fought back.

"Rose, he, I mean I didn't mean it…..Rose" the tenth Doctor tried to explain but she didn't stop, she just walked off and once in the corridor. She ran.

"Oh that was good. If I didn't know I would be hitting myself…..I would so punch you right now." The tenth doctor had a dark look to rival the ninths.

"What did I say?"

"You are a real idiot, was I really this stupid?"

"Sorry to be me. And I still have no bloody idea what your on about!" The ninth snarled, turning to tinker with the TARDIS, but he was roughly turned back to face his next incarnation.

"She nearly left us!"

"What?"

"Because of this ok!" the tenth indicated his appearance.

"Oh…."

"Yes OH!…geeze"

"What happened? I mean happens?"

"Oh come on, you know I can't tell you that. But lets just say it didn't go well. She took it hard. But she's good, she comes round, but it takes her a long time to get past it. Past the death of you. Think of it, one minute your you, and then she sees a stranger, saying he's the Doctor, but a totally different person. Think how alone and afraid she felt. Wishing to see you come round the corner." He saw the realization dawn on the ninth Doctors face. "Yeah. Look lets get this fixed, and try to get back to normal"

They worked for about 4 more hours, no sign of Rose, by the time they had fixed the problem both were getting worried.

"Right, all we have to do is press this button, and when we open the door, it should lead to your TARDIS," the tenth Doctor said, trying to rub oil off his shirt.

"I'm going to find Rose" the Ninth Doctor rose from the floor by the console and walked from the room. The tenth let him go, Rose needed to say goodbye, for now, and for then.

He found her were he though, in the garden. She absently stroking George, the man-eating plant. For some un known reason George really liked Rose, would never go for her, and cuddled up to her like a pet. George slunk off as he approached.

"Rose?…"

"Come to rant about my choices some more" her voice sounded horse, she had been crying.

"Rose, I'm sorry…I didn't mean it. You know I don't" he sat beside her, and pulled her into a hug, she began to cry again.

"I miss you. I know your him but….."

"Shhh, it's okay." He held her while she cried; she clung to him like a lifeline.

"No it's not ok, I miss you, but your still here, but it's not you. I didn't get to say goodbye" her tears falling to his jacket. His hearts broke, how could he e the cause of this?

"Oh Rose, I'm so sorry." She laughed, but it came out as a snotty gurgle

"What you sorry for? You didn't know when you were going to change. And look, I'm being a good girl and not say anything I shouldn't" he hugged her again.

"Yes your being a very good girl, you'll get a lollypop," she laughed the full laugh he loved. "That's more like it. We fixed it, or I fixed it. God dealing with myself is so confusing. You should have been there when there was all five of me together. Wouldn't wish that on anyone, anyway. Were ready. I have to get back to you, or the past you at any rate."

"Ok. Thanks Doctor" she drew him into a fierce hug once more, her heart screaming out. He returned it.

"I love you Rose"

"I know, you take care ok, have fun, cause we do"

"Good. Come on"

They walked back to the console room hand in hand. As they entered the two Doctors nodded to each other. The tenth Doctor flipped a switch, the engines hummed, then he walked to the door, opening it you could see a mirror of the console room in the doorway.

"Goodbye Rose," the ninth Docter hugged her one last time, she kissed him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear.

"Goodbye, my Doctor" he kissed her on the fore head and walked from the TARDIS, back into the time line. She felt the tenth Doctor put his arm around her shoulder, and she turned to him as he embraced her.

"You ok Rose?"

"Yeah, I think I will be finally. I got to say goodbye, but you know that" she smiled at him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Yeah… come on. Where do you want to go?"

"Take me for some chips my Doctor"

"Ok, but first" he pulled out from his pocket a lollypop. Rose laughed as he walked to the console.

The Doctor set the controls, as the time rotor rose and fell, the two companions said goodbye to the past.

And in the past as one Doctor comforted Rose, he was thankful in the knowledge that Rose would be there in his future.

The End.

KITG:OMG! Well I have never done that before, I made myself cry with this fic. When they were saying goodbye. God I am a shippy wuss. Angst I do, but I cried my eyes out writing this. Oh well. Hope I conveyed the feeling. That would be great. Tell me what you think.

See you in time


End file.
